Brisbane’s Chic Calile Hotel- Review
The Calile Hotel
Where:
Perfectly located in Brisbane’s busy James Street shopping and restaurant hub.
The Calile Hotel, 48 James St Fortitude Valley Brisbane, Queensland is one of the city’s newest hotels.
Back story
This is Australia’s first urban resort and it’s fabulous. It is designed by leading architects Richards and Spence, who are recognised nationally and internationally for defining the look and feel of the James Street precinct. The Calile design with its white brick and concrete facade embraces Brisbane’s tropical climate and relaxed living.
“We looked to other hot weather cities with a resort focus to inform our design… Miami, Palm Springs, Rio De Janeiro and Mexico City,” says Richards and Spence Co-Director Adrian Spence. “In our opinion there is no other city-based Australian hotel conceived as a resort.”
History
The name Calile, is a nod to the owner’s family who developed the James Street Market in 2002 and the development of the James Street retail properties extending from the Market through to The Calile.
Rooms
From the moment we stepped through the doors to our poolside deluxe room, we were impressed.
Everything about the hotel is well thought through from the water stations in the breezeways to the beautiful custom linen robes.
The 175-room architecturally designed hotel is stunning and has been built to make the most of Queensland’s excellent climate and tropical surrounds.
The hotel has a mix of rooms including nine suites and two premier suites — featuring a mix of individual Juliette, pool-side and terrace-style balconies and two private rooftop terraces.
Timber and marble finishes star with a cool-toned coloured decor. Cork floors and sisal matting lead to a spacious marble bathroom with attractive brushed brass taps and accessories and fabulous Grown Alchemist bath amenities.
There’s a king-sized bed that’s hard to leave and a day bed for relaxing, a dining
table and a mini bar with a great supply of locally sourced treats.
Motorised blackout blinds make it perfect if you want to sleep late and the UHD television
with Chromecast and sound bar offers lots of choices when it comes to entertainment.
Features
The pool is definitely the place to be seen at this hotel.
It sparkles and shines in the sun and is a definite hit with Instagrammers.
Whether you are planning some serious laps or just a bob around the pool is as good as it looks.
The outdoor dining area is always popular and there are cabanas and sun lounges that are perfect for the climate.
The Calile includes an award-winning restaurant, day spa, cocktail bar, library and fashion boutiques on the ground and pool deck levels.
Staff are dressed in chic Bassike-designed Italian cotton shirts and linen chinos.
Dining
The light-filled Lobby Bar serves delicious cocktails that put you in holiday mode from the first sip. Head there for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there’s an excellent wine list showcasing Australia’s best with a strong salute to the great viticulture regions of the world. lobbybar.com.au
Award-winning modern Greek restaurant Hellenika by Simon Gloftis offers fabulous dining with excellent seafood and Greek favourites. Sister venue to Gloftis’ legendary Gold Coast venue of the same name, it serves authentic Greek fare in a sophisticated space that opens to a leafy terrace featuring alfresco dining and poolside cabanas. hellenika.com.au
Our favourites? Definitely the Spanakopita and eggplant moussaka and for a grand finale Karidopita- walnut and syrup cake.
Fitness
The Kailo Wellness Medispa and Forme Fitness
If we had to choose one word to describe the spa – it would be “impressive.”
The architecturally designed space located on the pool deck level, offers facilities designed to enhance the hotel’s unique subtropical style and many indulgent treatments.
Kailo is the creation of successful spa specialist Meaghan South, former creator and owner of The Dome Retreat and Dr. Edwina Morgan. It offers a curated holistic wellness experience that combines ancient wisdom with modern approaches to skin health, medical aesthetics and beauty essentials in a space designed for relaxation and the restoration of vitality.
Lobby spaces are designed as an outdoor room with softly vaulted corridors to transition from the outside world, and individually customised treatment rooms offering a contemplative private sanctuary for guests. kailomedispa.com
Forme Fitness offers sophisticated new gym equipment and personal training methods, in a boutique space with well-considered and luxurious facilities. Owner Tristian Forbes has been in the fitness industry for over 10 years – he and his team present a full service to hotel guests and local clients. formefitness.com.au
What to do
If you can drag yourself away from The Calile there’s a thriving vibrant urban streetscape with excellent shops and great cafes and restaurants.
You can catch the latest releases at the cinema centre opposite the hotel.
The Calile houses 12 retailers on the ground level and there are more than 130 design shops, restaurants, bars, boutiques and galleries on your doorstep.
What we loved
The Calile has a vibrant feel to it where you immediately feel at home and on holidays – even if you aren’t. Service is slick and the décor sleek.Top it off with breakfast at the lobby bar and dinner at Hellenika and a swim in the pool – heaven.
Details
It is a 25-minute drive to the airport and five minutes to the CBD.
The hotel is a member of the TFE Hotel Collection.
thecalilehotel.com
